Todays post is a 2009 midyear round up of the status of the Google Mobile applications: Latitude, Voice, Docs, Mail, Maps and Reader. My focus is on the iPhone mobile platform. Google Latitude Google Latitude is their location and status message product. The application up until now has been available on other phone platforms such as Android, but lacking on iPhone. In the mean time, iPhone users have had to look elsewhere.

I bought the iPhone 3G in July 2008 on a 24 month contract with Telstra. At the time they refused to allow iPhone users to utilise their “Cap Plans”, and as such became the only carrier in Australia to offer iPhones without Cap plans. I signed up to the $80 per month “iPhone plan” and that includes $70 worth of calls. As of June 26th 2009, the iPhone 3GS was released.

An update for Skype on the iPhone has been released. Version 1.1 of the update offers some additional fixes and localisations, but the major addition is ability to send SMS. This update is compatible with the iPhone 3.0 Firmware, so many people were hoping that Push notification would be included. It has not been, so the functionality of Skype on the iPhone is limited. Apple does not allow Applications to run in the background, so one can’t receive calls or message notifications in Skype without the app continuously running.

Tweetdeck, one of the better Twitter desktop clients, has now been release for the iPhone. I used to use Tweetdeck, until Tweetie came out for the Mac (a native client). However on any other non-apple platform I recommend Tweetdeck or DestroyTwitter (both Adobe Air apps) to my friends. In the last 24 hours Kevin Rose, of Digg fame, blogged about getting hold of the Tweetdeck beta. Since then the blogosphere has gone mad about it.

The new iPhone 3GS was announced yesterday at WWDC. The main changes are in the hardware. The differences are now: 32GB Option 3 Megapixel camera with autofocus Video Recording capabilities with upload to Youtube function Voice Control Compass The other new features coming to the iPhone such as: Cut, Copy & Paste (about time!) MMS and contact send/receive via SMS Bluetooth transfer and A2DP support Data tethering to your laptop (USB or Bluetooth) Spotlight Search Landscape keyboard across all apps Voice Memos will be available on the current iPhone 3G, the iPhone 2G and included oin the new 3GS.

Now that I am using wordpress 2.7, I thought it would be good to test the iPhone app for wordpress. This is written on the app itself. I would say that although useful it seems to be more favorable to blog from a computer. The iPhone is suited to short spurts of typing, more on the realms of SMS or twitter. The capability of quickly adding photos and the tag/category functionality seems full featured, as shown by a photo of my dinner I made from Cook with Jamie.

A quick one today, but worthy of note is the upcoming now out WordPress iPhone Application. This means an update of techdebug.com is on the cards… You can read about it on the dedicated iPhone page. via TUAW

As I posted late last night – Vodafone had not announced their pricing. They did – then retracted it. This is a major factor for an IT and tech geek who currently uses Vodafone. I’m now seriously thinking of taking my business to Telstra (I use them for Cable and Internet already – so…?!). I have partially ruled Optus out due to their lack of non-metro coverage and decisions to expand their 3G using 900Mhz technologies.

If Vodafone Australia don’t release their iPhone pricing/data or respond to my Pre-registration ASAP (and I mean by midday Wednesday only 48 hours before launch) I’m going to unfortunately have to go elsewhere. What is the point of their pre-registration when: One hears nothing back from it except a “Watch your inbox” One goes into a Central Melbourne Vodafone shop and they say “We are not owned by Vodafone so don’t know about pre-registration or when the pricing is available” One rings the Vodafone Connect number and can NOT find any option – menu – or area that will answer your iPhone questions Optus and Vodafone 3G offerings outside Metro areas will use 900Mhz – WTF Carriers!

Telstra have now announced they will be selling the iPhone as well. According to the Age, since Telstra’s NextG network covers 99% of the population the iPhone will get good coverage due to it using the 850Mhz 3G frequencies. Additionally the Age have reported on the pricing Telstra will offer on their bundles: The cheapest monthly plan will be $30, paying either $279 upfront for an eight-gigabyte iPhone or $399 for a 16Gb model.